The subject of this patent application relates generally to decorative or novelty ornaments, and more particularly to ornaments configured for selective insertion and removal of scrolled messages.
The following description includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the presently claimed invention, or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
Applicant(s) hereby incorporate herein by reference any and all patents and published patent applications cited or referred to in this application, to the same extent as if each individual publication or patent application were specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference. Where a definition or use of a term in an incorporated reference is inconsistent or contrary to the definition of that term provided herein, the definition of that term provided herein applies and the definition of that term in the reference does not apply.
By way of background, customized or personalized gifts or novelty items abound in the marketplace. It is often desirable to purchase or give such a gift or novelty item at least, for example, bearing a person's name or initials, again whether as pre-produced or somehow customized or personalized as part of the purchase, as by printing, engraving, laser etching, silk screening, embroidering, or any other such technique. Such gifts may be further customized or personalized with a message in the same manner, such as to commemorate a special event by date and description or to provide a meaningful, unique inscription.
Regarding Christmas and other holiday-themed gifts or novelty items, customization or personalization is again often desired to mark such occasions for the gift giver and the recipient, in connection with items ranging from stockings to ornaments to various other decorations. Even in the specific case of tree ornaments or other hanging ornaments and the like, it is often desirable to customize or personalize such an ornament on its surface or, in the case of transparent or translucent, hollow ornaments to even place personal, meaningful messages or mementos inside the ornament, thus again customizing the ornament to the user's liking.
Whether such tree or hanging, decorative ornaments are spherical or “ball-shaped” or any other shape, where they are hollow, they typically have a small, round opening at the top defined by an annular wall that extends from the main body of the ornament, the opening serving as the only means of accessing the interior of the ornament and most often being covered or plugged with a cap having a circular body with perimeter skirt configured to go about and cover the annular wall defining the mouth or opening of the ornament and further having incorporated therein a flexible wire with two legs that protrude downwardly from the cap and are biased outwardly so as to selectively be squeezed inwardly to pass through the opening and then spring outwardly against the inside surface of the ornament to secure the cap in place over the opening on or about the annular opening wall. Further, the legs may be formed of a single wire that is bent as desired and so further defines a ring that extends upwardly from the cap by which the ornament may be hung as by a hook, ribbon, string, twine, chain, etc. Alternatively, such ornament opening may be plugged with a cork or other component, in any case such component typically having a ring or other feature, again, by which the ornament may be hung. Where such a decorative tree or hanging ornament is hollow, once more, it may be further desired to have the walls of the ornament be transparent or translucent, in whole or in part, so that the contents of the ornament are visible.
In connection with any such tree or hanging, decorative ornaments that are hollow and to some extent clear for viewing any contents therein, it will be appreciated that practical challenges relate to placing any items within the ornament and, should it ever be desired to change or remove such items, getting them back out of the ornament. Relatedly, it will be appreciated that the passage of any items into and out of such an ornament is effectively limited by the size of the opening formed in the body. And as it is often the case that an item may be insertable or pass through the opening in only one orientation, even items that were able to be inserted may then not be readily removed. Removal of decorations or mementos or particularly personalized messages may be desired to customize the ornament for a particular occasion or recipient, hence the need to conveniently insert or remove such messages and the like, which again is not readily achieved with typical decorative ornaments of various kinds. Other approaches to this problem involve forming the ornament itself, or its body, in two halves that can be selectively separated so as to access the interior, but the disadvantages of such a two-half design relate to both the cost of the ornament and, more significantly, the appearance of the ornament, with such a seam along which the two halves are joined obscuring part of the interior and contents and generally being aesthetically displeasing. Moreover, opening the ornament up as in a clam-shell design or manipulating the ornament as by turning it upside down in an attempt to remove a message scroll may result in the unwanted removal of at least a portion of any decorations found within the ornament. Of course, personalized messages and mementos can in theory be placed within an ornament at the manufacturing stage such that the body of the ornament is continuous as desired for aesthetics, but this is to no avail for end users wishing to customize or personalize and even periodically change the contents of an ornament.
Thus, what has been needed and has heretofore been unavailable is a tree or hanging, decorative ornament that has a continuous body other than the opening and yet is configured for conveniently allowing the insertion and removal of personalized messages and mementos through the opening without unwanted removal of other decorations.
Aspects of the present invention fulfill these needs and provide further related advantages as described in the following summary.